1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to assemblies and methods directed to patching assemblies and methods for use in patching of copper-based communication systems.
2. Background Art
Copper patching systems are often used to facilitate networking between switches, servers, storage devices, etc. Patching systems permit users to establish temporary and/or easily modified electrical connections between communication channels, thereby permitting rapid and efficient reconfigurations and/or modifications to network connections in a central location. As shown in the Telecommunication Industry of America (TIA) Standard for data centers, TIA-942, a patch panel interface frequently exists as an integral part of a building's architecture. Due to the relatively large space that data centers can occupy, it is recommended that building architects plan for data center and telecommunication room accommodations early in a design process.
To reduce the effective area that a patching system utilizes in a facility, suppliers of patching cables and interface apparatus have taken steps to reduce the jack size and, thus, increase patching density. As is known to persons skilled in the art, the term “jack” is generally interchangeable with the terms “port,” “adapter” and “coupler”, and refers to a device/component that creates a physical interface with a properly configured plug (also herein referred to as a “connector”), e.g., RJ11 telephone connector, 8P8C Ethernet connector, etc. A jack typically contains features that facilitate detachably latching a plug with respect to a jack.
Suppliers of copper-wire connectivity hardware have recently been providing modular cassette patching products to the premise industry. These cassette systems allow the user to create a passive network link with minimal patching experience. A user can install the cassette into a vertical rack cabinet, such as the Ortronics FC02U-P (Ortronics, Inc.; New London, Conn.), connect a backbone cable to the rear of the cassette, and then connect a patch cord from the front of the cassette, e.g., to a transceiver. The backbone cable is similarly connected, e.g., via a jack to a second transceiver, thereby creating a data link.
To date, rack systems and cassettes are designed for vertical stacking. FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a vertical stacking cassette cabinet assembly 1 associated with prior art assemblies. Assembly 1 includes an enclosure 9 defining a receiving cavity 2. Tray 14 is adapted to host a plurality of copper-wire ports (not shown) (not shown). The ports are often included on a cassette shell (not shown) that can be secured on a bottom tray surface 5. For patching purposes, the ports are accessed through openings 6 defined along a front face 7 extending upwardly with respect to tray 4.
In conventional designs, tray 4 translates axially along a horizontal axis “x” by sliding motion of tray 14 with respect to cavity 2. Rear patching access to the cassettes is generally achieved by sliding tray 4 out from cavity 2. When tray 4 is fully inserted within cavity 2, cabinet 9 can be closed via a hingedly connected front door 3 which can include a locking feature 8 for securely locking cabinet 9 and preventing unauthorized access to the cassettes.
According to the prior art assemblies, the cassettes hosted on bottom surface 5 align the plurality of ports vertically along axis “y”. This configuration disadvantageously prevents further use in the deeper portions associated with cavity 2. Since the port is limited by this inefficient use of space, a relatively large number of cabinets is often necessary to accommodate the patching needs of data centers.
Conventional vertical stacking techniques allow for the user to easily insert and remove patch cords from the patch panel as well as manage the copper-wiring in vertical cable managers. Historically, only the vertical plane of the rack has been used/available for patching access. However, a need exists to further increase the connection density for copper-wire patching systems and, thereby, advantageously maximize the efficient use of a given (and often times limited) floor space in a data center or telecommunications room. These and other needs are addressed by the assemblies and methods of the present disclosure,